Idaho's historic Sun Valley Resort continues to keep generations of guests smiling

Sun Valley Resort was North America's first ski resort, but until a recent trip to the south-central Idaho destination I knew little about its golf reputation. Thus, as I prepared for my mid-summer visit with five fellow golf journalists, I wasn't sure what we'd find.

Let's just say I returned home impressed enough to report Sun Valley Resort shines-pardon the pun-as a serious golf destination.

Sun Valley-nestled in the northern Rockies-is the epitome of a four-season, upscale family resort. Since the Union Pacific Railroad opened it as the nation's first destination resort in December, 1936, generations of families have made Sun Valley their choice for seemingly limitless fun, activities and outdoor recreation, including golf. You'll see kids accompanied by parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents participating in activities such as bicycling, hiking, jogging and even ice skating on the outdoor rink, all the while surrounded by perfectly manicured grounds, flower gardens, ponds and rivers.

At casual Sun Valley, guests are refreshingly non-pretentious, and shorts and golf shirts are the norm, even at dinner. Every guest we encountered during the visit-no matter their ages-appeared as if they were having the best time of their lives. The same holds true for the enthusiastic, helpful employees, many of whom have worked at the resort since high school-as did their forebears and now their children-and genuinely couldn't be prouder of being part of the Sun Valley team and the resort's rich history. It's no surprise, then, that Sun Valley's service might be the best you'll ever encounter. Nobody's too important to help guests. Two resort senior managers stuck with babysitting our group of ink-stained wretches excused themselves countless times over four days to assist guests and co-workers-for instance, lifting a wheelchair-bound woman up over a stoop, jumping in to assist the busy hostess by seating several waiting parties for lunch at the packed golf clubhouse restaurant, and even fixing a printer for two front-desk clerks while another guest and I were checking out of the Sun Valley Inn.

You can't help but smile at Sun Valley-heck, I'm even smiling as I write this-which is how it has been for the resort's entire 75-year history. It quickly became a playground for Hollywood stars (numerous movies were made at, or featured, the resort) and East Coast notables, many of whom didn't ski but embraced the social opportunities available at the Sun Valley Resort Village and at the resort's historic Roundhouse Restaurant, which is perched 7,750 scenic feet above sea level on the River Run side of Bald Mountain, whose summit elevation is 9,150 feet. Baldy, as it's called, now has 14 ski lifts, including the year-round Roundhouse Gondola that opened in 2009, while Dollar Mountain, which has six lifts, has a summit elevation of 6,638 feet.

Those early guests enjoyed the aptly named Sun Valley Resort's spectacular weather, as do today's visitors. It was sunny and in the 90s during our entire stay, yet it felt very comfortable thanks to the area's super-low humidity. Warm weather might not be welcome in winter, but it sure enhances the experience for golfers.

While Sun Valley doesn't boast a large quantity of courses as do some resorts, the quality speaks volumes. Its 18-hole Trail Creek course and nine-hole White Clouds layout complement each other beautifully since they offer two completely different experiences.

Sun Valley's Trail Creek golf course opened as a nine-hole course in 1938 as a William Bell design. The resort later added a second nine in 1962 with designer George Von Elm, the 1926 U.S. Amateur titleholder. Robert Trent Jones Jr. would completely remodel the course to its existing 18-hole layout in 1978, transforming Trail Creek into an award-winning 18-hole resort layout that's among Idaho's top-10 courses in Golf Digest's "Best in State Golf Courses 2009-2010" ranking. The 6,968-yard, par-72 gem is a traditional tree-lined beauty laid atop the tumbling valley floor, winding around and over the eponymous Trail Creek, ponds and lakes. As an added bonus, golfers receive a 10 percent gain on every shot at Sun Valley Resort's elevation of nearly 6,000 feet above sea level.

Trail Creek's strong collection of holes includes some elevation changes that add to the challenge. The par-3s are all superb, culminating in the 244-yard 17th, which plays from an elevated tee and requires an exacting tee shot over water to a severe back-to-front-sloped putting surface. Another memorable hole is No. 7, which plays 460 yards from the high-pulpit back tee. A 245-yard carry over a diagonally flowing stream is needed just to reach the fairway, followed by a pinpoint approach to a difficult-to-hit green.

White Clouds-designed across the road by Donald Knott atop 135 acres of stunning ridge top-opened in mid-August 2008 on the same day as the new 58,756-square-foot Sun Valley Club clubhouse. The views are spectacular from this high-desert mountainside links where, unlike its sister track, level fairway lies and trees are few and far between. Accuracy and club selection are paramount at White Clouds, as even seemingly perfect drives and approaches can bound away into the thick rough or, worse, nasty sagebrush lining both sides of this very penal course.

White Clouds is target golf, and driver is often not the play off the tee-and that includes on the 505-yard, par-4 eighth. Actually, this two-shotter plays much shorter after factoring in the extremely downhill tee shot and the 10 percent distance gain. It takes a few rounds to understand where to, and not to, hit your shots, many of which are blind. Just play the proper tees. An 18-hole round from the rear Professional tees is 7,220 yards, with an astronomical 76.6/143 course rating/slope. The Championship tees, at 6,657 yards, carry a 74.4/138 rating/slope.

White Clouds is a wild thrill ride. You'll have a blast if your goal is simply to enjoy a unique round of golf. Be warned if your goal is to shoot your handicap or career round-you might finish your round with no clubs, no hair or both. Sun Valley Resort has already somewhat softened the course's edges, but may have to soften it some more. And once the economy recovers, the resort plans to add nine more holes to White Clouds, giving Sun Valley two world-class 18-hole golf courses.

One of the resort's most popular family spots is the new 18-hole, 52,000-square-foot Sawtooths Putting Course. It's amazing to watch kids barely old enough to walk playing with grandparents as they traverse the course's fun, severely undulating grass putting surfaces cut into 18 separate fairways. Earl Holding, the resort's beloved owner since 1977, wanted a putting course reminiscent of the famous Himalayas putting course at Scotland's St. Andrews so folks sitting on the adjacent new clubhouse's rear patio could witness the pleasures of golf as a family activity. Mission accomplished.

The clubhouse patio also overlooks the Sun Valley Club Practice Facility, including a 12-acre range with a 52,000-square-foot teeing area boasting target greens and bunkers; a 20,000-square-foot pitching, chipping and bunker practice area; and a 6,300-square-foot putting green.

Meanwhile, the impressive stone-and-timber clubhouse-which, during winter, is used by cross country skiers who traverse the resort's 25 miles of meticulously groomed trails-features an award-winning golf shop, an outstanding restaurant, men's and women's locker rooms, two meeting rooms and a virtual golf room where golfers utilize a computerized launch monitor for lessons, custom club fittings and can play a plethora of famous golf courses simulated on a massive screen.

Resort guests can also participate, as our group did, in a one-hour fly-fishing clinic by Silver Creek Outfitters on the lawn fronting the Sun Valley Lodge and in shooting activities at the recently renovated Sun Valley Gun Club, near the golf facility. During a one-hour trap-shooting lesson and experience, I hit five out of 25 targets, which actually exceeded my meager expectations. However, my ego was squashed by our instructor, Carl, who said a local sharpshooter owns the club's competition record with 725 straight hits before missing, losing to a non-member who hit 726 straight. Besides trap, the club also has skeet fields, doubles trap, wobble trap, duck tower, 5-stand and sporting clays.

While my fishing and shooting skills were terrible, my Hall of Fame-caliber eating ability remained intact. A big appetite is a good trait at Sun Valley Resort, which boasts 13 fabulous restaurants (my favorites include The Ram Restaurant, Trail Creek Cabin, Sun Valley Club and Roundhouse Restaurant), including six mountain lodges, and five bars. Sun Valley Village features 12 shops and accommodations that total 510 rooms, including 148 rooms at the Lodge, 109 rooms at the Inn, and 243 rooms in the village's various apartments, cottages and condominiums. The newly renovated Sun Valley Inn Convention Center totals more than 12,000 square feet, and the resort offers 18 total meeting rooms totaling 28,500 square feet of meeting space.

Besides Sun Valley Resort's golf offerings, fly fishing and the Gun Club, summer recreation also includes 17 tennis courts; indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks; three heated outdoor swimming pools, one Jacuzzi and one children's pool; horseback riding at Sun Valley Horsemen's Center; chairlift rides to Baldy's summit, biking and hiking trails; whitewater rafting trips; a six-lane bowling alley in the Lodge basement; paddle boating, horseshoes and volleyball at Sun Valley Lake; and the year-round Sun Valley Playschool.

The resort's busy summer calendar's major events include the Danny Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament, Sun Valley Wine Auction, Arts And Craft Show, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Sun Valley Pavilion Summer Entertainment Series, Saturday night Sun Valley Summer Ice Shows, Swing 'N' Dixie Jazz Jamboree, Car Auction and Writer's Conference.

We all enjoyed a Saturday night buffet dinner and dazzling ice-show performance by Olympic Silver Medal figure skater Sasha Cohen-and a host of other Olympic skaters-at the outdoor rink, as well as a fantastic public concert the next night by country music legend Garth Brooks (accompanied by the Sun Valley Symphony and, for several duets, Brooks' country-star wife, Trisha Yearwood) at the beautiful Sun Valley Pavilion before a record crowd of nearly 6,000 diehards.

The following day, before taking the resort shuttle to the Sun Valley Airport in nearby Hailey for my late-morning flight home, I spent an hour walking the hiking trails built into the ridge top upon which White Clouds sits proudly. The gently winding trail crests directly behind White Clouds' fifth tee at a strategically located bench, offering an incredible 360-degree panoramic vista of the resort, the Wood River Valley, the lovely town of Ketchum (including writer Ernest Hemingway's home in which he committed suicide) and the majestic, surrounding snow-capped mountains. Holding had the bench placed there, right behind a never-used back tee he also ordered built, so golfers could stop to enjoy the breathtaking views. A stone marker near the tee box features a quote from the owner of this mountain paradise: "This is not all about golf."

Those six words perfectly describe the Sun Valley Resort, where you'll enjoy every minute of your stay-no matter what you do.

Resort guests can also participate, as our group did, in a one-hour fly-fishing clinic by Silver Creek Outfitters on the lawn fronting the Sun Valley Lodge and in shooting activities at the recently renovated Sun Valley Gun Club, near the golf facility. During a one-hour trap-shooting lesson and experience, I hit five out of 25 targets, which actually exceeded my meager expectations. However, my ego was squashed by our instructor, Carl, who said a local sharpshooter owns the club's competition record with 725 straight hits before missing, losing to a non-member who hit 726 straight. Besides trap, the club also has skeet fields, doubles trap, wobble trap, duck tower, 5-stand and sporting clays.

While my fishing and shooting skills were terrible, my Hall of Fame-caliber eating ability remained intact. A big appetite is a good trait at Sun Valley Resort, which boasts 13 fabulous restaurants (my favorites include The Ram Restaurant, Trail Creek Cabin, Sun Valley Club and Roundhouse Restaurant), including six mountain lodges, and five bars. Sun Valley Village features 12 shops and accommodations that total 510 rooms, including 148 rooms at the Lodge, 109 rooms at the Inn, and 243 rooms in the village's various apartments, cottages and condominiums. The newly renovated Sun Valley Inn Convention Center totals more than 12,000 square feet, and the resort offers 18 total meeting rooms totaling 28,500 square feet of meeting space.

Besides Sun Valley Resort's golf offerings, fly fishing and the Gun Club, summer recreation also includes 17 tennis courts; indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks; three heated outdoor swimming pools, one Jacuzzi and one children's pool; horseback riding at Sun Valley Horsemen's Center; chairlift rides to Baldy's summit, biking and hiking trails; whitewater rafting trips; a six-lane bowling alley in the Lodge basement; paddle boating, horseshoes and volleyball at Sun Valley Lake; and the year-round Sun Valley Playschool.

The resort's busy summer calendar's major events include the Danny Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament, Sun Valley Wine Auction, Arts And Craft Show, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Sun Valley Pavilion Summer Entertainment Series, Saturday night Sun Valley Summer Ice Shows, Swing 'N' Dixie Jazz Jamboree, Car Auction and Writer's Conference.

We all enjoyed a Saturday night buffet dinner and dazzling ice-show performance by Olympic Silver Medal figure skater Sasha Cohen-and a host of other Olympic skaters-at the outdoor rink, as well as a fantastic public concert the next night by country music legend Garth Brooks (accompanied by the Sun Valley Symphony and, for several duets, Brooks' country-star wife, Trisha Yearwood) at the beautiful Sun Valley Pavilion before a record crowd of nearly 6,000 diehards.

The following day, before taking the resort shuttle to the Sun Valley Airport in nearby Hailey for my late-morning flight home, I spent an hour walking the hiking trails built into the ridge top upon which White Clouds sits proudly. The gently winding trail crests directly behind White Clouds' fifth tee at a strategically located bench, offering an incredible 360-degree panoramic vista of the resort, the Wood River Valley, the lovely town of Ketchum (including writer Ernest Hemingway's home in which he committed suicide) and the majestic, surrounding snow-capped mountains. Holding had the bench placed there, right behind a never-used back tee he also ordered built, so golfers could stop to enjoy the breathtaking views. A stone marker near the tee box features a quote from the owner of this mountain paradise: "This is not all about golf."

Those six words perfectly describe the Sun Valley Resort, where you'll enjoy every minute of your stay-no matter what you do.